Transgender model comes out

After keeping her birth gender a secret for years, New York-based model Geena Rocero decided to come out to her friends, her neighbors, and even her modeling agent, who didn't know the truth.Speaking in front of a large audience for the first TED talk on transgender rights on Monday, the Philippines-born model opened up about her experience 'to help others live without shame and terror'.

'All of us are put into boxes by our families, by our religion, by society,' she said. 'But some people have the courage to break free from the beliefs of the people around them.'